Dear Parishioners:

You’ll note that the Solemnity of the Assumption is not a Holy Day of Obligation this year. Some parishioners have asked why this is so. The Solemnity of the Assumption is not a holy day of Obligation this year because August 15 falls on a Saturday. Under U.S. and canon law guidelines, the obligation to attend Mass is lifted when this specific feast day lands on a Saturday or a Monday.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops established that the obligation to attend Mass is lifted (abrogated) when January 1 (Mary, Mother of God), August 15 (The Assumption), or November 1 (All Saints' Day) falls on a Saturday or a Monday. This prevents back-to-back Mass obligations for priests who live in rural areas and travel great distances to multiple parishes, those who are assigned to multiple parishes, and confusion with the regular Sunday worship schedule. Next year we get to celebrate it on a Sunday!

Next Saturday we celebrate the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Pius XII established this feast in 1954. But the Blessed Virgin Mary’s queenship has roots in Scripture. At the Annunciation, Gabriel announced that Mary’s Son would receive the throne of David and rule forever. At the Visitation, Elizabeth calls Mary “mother of my Lord.” As in all the mysteries of Mary’s life, she is closely associated with Jesus. Her queenship is a share in Jesus’ kingship.

We can also recall that in the Old Testament the mother of the king has great influence in court. In the fourth century Saint Ephrem called Mary “Lady” and “Queen.” Later Church fathers and doctors continued to use the title. Hymns of the 11th to 13th centuries address Mary as queen: “Hail, Holy Queen,” “Hail, Queen of Heaven,” “Queen of Heaven.” The Dominican rosary and the Franciscan crown, as well as numerous invocations in Mary’s litany, celebrate her queenship.

The feast is a logical follow-up to the Assumption, and is now celebrated on the octave day of that feast. In his 1954 encyclical To the Queen of Heaven, Pius XII points out that Mary deserves the title because she is Mother of God, because she is closely associated as the New Eve with Jesus’ redemptive work, because of her preeminent perfection, and because of her intercessory power. Mary our Queen, pray for us!

As I write this column in advance, this weekend I will be in Lourdes, France, where I will offer Mass for you and your intentions. There are also several devotions at the Lourdes Shrine, including a Eucharistic Procession every evening and a Torchlight Marian Procession every night. Pilgrims walk in a candlelit procession while singing the Lourdes Hymn to our Lady and raising their candles.

I haven’t visited Lourdes since I was a seminarian in the early 1990s and traveled with friends to Spain from Belgium, where we studied. We made a stop at Lourdes on our way, as it is close to Spain. I have joyful and inspirational memories of the visit to Lourdes. The most inspiring part was watching the sick, disabled, and infirm pilgrims immerse themselves in the waters of Lourdes.

“Drink from the spring and wash in it,” said the beautiful Lady when she appeared in Lourdes. At her command, Bernadette Soubirous, the little shepherdess of Lourdes, looked around for a spring. There wasn’t one. So she scratched at the loose gravel. Then from the murky water that appeared, she first drank and then washed her face. But in the following days, the puddle became running water and then a stream.

Since that day in 1858, countless pilgrims have bathed in and been healed by the waters of that spring. These waters and their healing power, sixty-nine documented miracles of healing, are some of the most immediate and enduring fruits of our Lady’s appearance at Lourdes. Those who are not ill or infirm often wash their face with the water and drink it.

Not all the miracles of Lourdes are physical healing; some are spiritual conversions. Many undergo a grace-filled conversion of heart. While we often pray for a healing of the body, we also may seek a healing of the heart and spirit. We hope and pray for miracles of all kinds at Lourdes. Pray for me as I shall pray for you at Lourdes. Our Lady of Lourdes, intercede for us!

Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox!!!

Honoring Our Lady